Results: The sample consisted of 90 TRD+ and 122 TRD-patients TR

Results: The sample consisted of 90 TRD+ and 122 TRD-patients. TRD+ patients used significantly more resources from the psychiatric service, but not from non-psychiatric

clinics, compared to TRD-patients. Furthermore, TRD+ patients were significantly more likely to require hospitalizations. Overall, TRD+ patients imposed significantly higher (81.5%) annual costs compared to TRD-patients (R$ 5,520.85; US$ 3,075.34 vs. R$ 3,042.14; US$ 1,694.60). These findings demonstrate the burden of MDD, and especially of TRD+ patients, to the tertiary public health system. Our study should raise awareness of the impact of TRD+ and should be considered by policy makers when implementing public mental health initiatives.”
“Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. this website cruzi), is characterized by immunopathology driven by IFN-gamma secreting Th1-like T cells. T. cruzi has a thick coat of mucin-like glycoproteins covering its surface, which plays an important role in parasite invasion and host immunomodulation. It has been extensively described that T. cruzi or its products-like GPI anchors isolated from GPI-anchored mucins from the trypomastigote life cycle stage (tGPI-mucins)-are potent inducers of proinflammatory

responses (i.e., cytokines and NO production) by IFN-gamma primed murine macrophages. However, little is known about whether T. cruzi or GPI-mucins exert a similar action in human cells. We therefore decided to further investigate the in vitro cytokine production profile from human mononuclear cells from uninfected 3-deazaneplanocin A donors exposed to T. cruzi as well as tGPI-mucins. We observed that both living T. cruzi trypomastigotes and tGPI-mucins are potent inducers of IL-12 by human peripheral blood monocytes and this effect depends on CD40-CD40L interaction and IFN-gamma. Our findings suggest that the polarized T1-type

cytokine profile seen in T. cruzi infected patients might be a long-term effect of IL-12 production Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Library induced by lifelong exposure to T. cruzi tGPI-mucins.”
“Background: Many scoring systems exist for clock drawing task variants. However, none of them are reliable in evaluating longitudinal changes of cognitive function. The purpose of this study is to create a simple yet optimal scoring procedure to evaluate cognitive decline using a clinic-based sample. Methods: Clock-drawings from 121 participants (76 individuals with no dementia and later did not develop dementia after a mean 41.2-month follow-up, 45 individuals with no dementia became demented after a mean 42.3-month follow-up) were analyzed using t-test to determine a new and simplified CDT scoring system. The new scoring method was then compared with other commonly used systems. Results: In the converters, there were only 7 items that are significantly different between the initial visits and the second visits.

Overall Speedfeed variety had stems with a smaller mean diameter

Overall Speedfeed variety had stems with a smaller mean diameter than KFS4 and produced a higher number of tillers than KFS4. Regardless of variety, leaf firing increased with increasing salinity, reaching 59.95% in the extreme salinity treatment of 15 dS m(-1), and it increased with increasing water stress reaching 48.77% in the extreme water stress treatment of -2 MPa. However, there was less water deficit and salinity injury noticeable in KFS4 at all irrigation levels compared to Speedfeed. Most of the decline in growth parameters was significant only at -2 MPa irrigation frequency

which means irrigation of forage sorghum can be withheld till leaf water potential reaches -1.5 MPa.”
“A growing family of virulence factors called serine protease autotransporters Selleckchem YH25448 of Enterobacteriaceae Histone Methyltransf inhibitor (SPATEs) are secreted by Shigella, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli pathotypes. SPATEs are subdivided into class 1 and class 2 based on structural

features and phylogenetics. Class 1 SPATEs induce cytopathic effects in numerous epithelial cell lines, and several have been shown to cleave the cytoskeletal protein spectrin in vitro. However, to date the in vivo role of class 1 SPATEs in enteric pathogenesis is unknown. Citrobacter rodentium, a natural mouse pathogen, has recently been shown to harbor class 1 and class 2 SPATEs. To better understand the contribution of class 1 SPATEs in enteric infection, we constructed a class 1 SPATE null mutant (Delta crc1) in C. rodentium. Upon infection of C57BL/6 mice, the Delta crc1 mutant exhibited

a hypervirulent, hyperinflammatory phenotype compared with its parent, accompanied by greater weight loss and a trend toward increased mortality in young mice; the effect was reversed when the crc1 gene was restored. Using flow cytometry, we observed increased infiltration of T cells, B cells, and neutrophils into the lamina propria of the distal colon in mice fed the Delta crc1 mutant, starting as early as 5 days after infection. No significant difference in epithelial cytotoxicity was observed. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) analysis of distal colonic tissue on day 10 postinfection showed significant increases in mRNA encoding cytokines selleck chemicals llc interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), IL-1 beta, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) but not in mRNA encoding IL-17, IL-4, or IL-10 in the Delta crc1 mutant-infected mice. Our data suggest a previously unsuspected role for class 1 SPATEs in enteric infection.”
“Generalized two-dimensional (Gen2D) correlation analysis and hybrid correlation analysis have been applied to a series of dynamic P-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra to monitor the in vivo metabolic changes of the plant pathogen Phytophthora palmivora in the presence and absence of phosphonate over an 18-h period.

anguilla This was indicated by

anguilla. This was indicated by STAT inhibitor a low but significant F-ST value among within-host populations (infrapopulations) along with high inbreeding indices F-IS consistent over all loci. The latter signal

is shown to stem from high levels of admixture and the presence of first-generation migrants, and alternative explanations such as marker- and sex-specific biases in the nematode populations could be dismissed. Moreover, the slightly increased degree of relatedness within infrapopulations in the stocked river system cannot explain the excessive inbreeding values found and are most likely a direct consequence of recent influx of already infected fish harbouring parasites with different genetic signatures. Applying a simulation approach using known variables from the nematode’s invasion history, only the artificial introduction of a Wahlund effect leads to a close match

between simulated and real data, which is a strong argument for using the parasite as a biological tag for detecting and characterizing fish translocation.”
“Recently, we can see an increasing amount of dam damage or failure due to aging, earthquakes occurrence and unusual changes in weather. For this reason, dam safety is GSK1210151A order gaining more importance than ever before in terms of disaster management at a national level. Therefore, the government is trying to come up with an array of legal actions to secure consistent dam safety. Other dam management organizations are also taking various institutional and technical measures for the same

purpose. The Korea Water Resource Corporation (Kwater) which is currently operating and managing 30 large dams, has developed a dam safety management system. KDSMS, for consistent and efficient dam safety management. The KDSMS consists of dam and reservoir data, a hydrological information system. a field inspection and data management system. instrumentation and monitoring system https://www.selleckchem.com/screening/autophagy-signaling-compound-library.html including earthquake monitoring, a field investigation and safety evaluation system, and a collective information system. The KDSMS is a kind of enterprise management system which has been developed to deal with safety management of each field, research center, and headquarter office and their correlation as well as detailed safety information management. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved”
“Background: Midwives are required to maintain a professional portfolio as part of their statutory requirements. Some midwives are using open social networking tools and processes to develop an e-portfolio. However, confidentiality of patient and client data and professional reputation have to be taken into consideration when using online public spaces for reflection. Question: There is little evidence about how midwives use social networking tools for ongoing learning.

METHODS: Literature on RFA vs surgical resection for the trea

\n\nMETHODS: Literature on RFA vs surgical resection for the treatment of small HCC published between January 1990 and December 2008 was retrieved. A metaanalysis was conducted to estimate pooled survival and recurrence ratios. A fixed or random effect model was established to collect Selleckchem LDK378 the data.\n\nRESULTS: The differences in overall survival at 1-year, 3-years and at end of follow-up were not statistically significant between

the RFA and surgery groups (P> 0.05). There were no differences in 1-year and 3-year recurrences between the RFA and surgery groups (P> 0.05). However, recurrence in the RFA group was lower than that in the surgery group up to the end of follow-up (P = 0.03). Survival was not significantly different. There was a significant difference in recurrences at the end of follow-up after RFA compared with surgical resection.\n\nCONCLUSION: RFA did not decrease the

number of overall recurrences, and had no effect on survival when compared with surgical resection in a selected group of patients. (C) 2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved.”
“The 2A region of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) encodes a short sequence that mediates self-processing selleck inhibitor by a novel translational effect. Translation elongation arrest leads to release of the nascent polypeptide and re-initiation at the next in-frame codon. In this way discrete translation products are derived from a single

open reading frame. Active 2A-like sequences have been found in (many) other viruses and trypanosome non-LTR retrotransposons. Exponential growth of 2A technology within the last decade has lead to many biotechnological/biomedical applications including the generation of transgenic plants/animals and genetic manipulation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).”
“A rust disease caused by Puccinia acroptili P. Syd. & Syd. occurs throughout the range of Russian knapweed (Rhaponticum (syn. Acroptilon) repens), including North America. Differences in teliospore dimensions had been observed previously, but not quantified, between a specimen of P. acroptili from Turkey and one from the United States of America (USA). Similar differences were found during a recent evaluation of P. acroptili for biological control of R. repens in the USA; e. g., teliospores from eight USA isolates learn more were 2.4 mu m shorter (P = 0.05) than four isolates from Eurasia (two from Turkey, and one each from Russia and Kazakhstan). This inspired the generation of additional biological and DNA sequence data to clarify the significance of these differences between USA and Eurasian isolates. Although the USA isolates were found to have shorter teliospores, as noted in the description by Savile, teliospores of the USA isolates were also significantly wider in diameter than isolates from Eurasia; the latter in contrast to Savile’s observation.


“Macroporous cross-linked poly(N-methylacrylamide) (PMAM)


“Macroporous cross-linked poly(N-methylacrylamide) (PMAM) was prepared and the adsorption behaviors of PMAM toward tannin from aqueous solution Cyclopamine price was studied in comparison with polyacrylamide (PAM). The swollen property indicated that PMAM had a higher hydrophobicity than PAM while the adsorption showed that PMAM had a greatly improved adsorption toward tannin. The adsorption data could be fitted well by Freundlich model and the values of the thermodynamic parameters of PMAM toward tannin were more negative than PAM. The multiple hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction between PAM/PMAM and tannin were shown to be responsible for the adsorption, whereas a stronger

hydrogen bonding and a higher hydrophobicity of PMAM had a contribution to the greatly improved

adsorption of PMAM toward tannin. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 122: 2033-2038, 2011″
“Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether there is any difference in complete blood cell count parameters between anti-Helicobacter pylori (HP) IgG antibody (anti-IgG) positive and negative subjects.\n\nMethods: In a hospital based survey, total of 125 people were included to the study which measured anti-HP IgG antibody. The total 85 subjects, titers of anti-HP click here IgG antibody >1 was considered as IgG positive group and <1, total 40 subjects, as IgG negative group.\n\nResults: There was no significant relationship between anti-HP IgG antibody positivity and gender. However, significantly decreased PF-6463922 cost mean corpuscular volume and increased percent eosinophil values were found in IgG positive group (p =0.04).\n\nConclusion: In conclusion, IgG positive group characterized lower mean corpuscular volume and higher eosinophil values. These results might be sign of inflammatory changes associated to chronic gastritis.”
“Intraspecific variation in morphometry of pine wood nematodes Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and B. mucronatus in relation to geographical locations in South

Korea was investigated using morphometric characters (body length, a, b and c ratio, stylet length, and spicule length for a male nematode and V (%) value for a female nematode). B. xylophilus was isolated from Pinus thunbergii in Jinju (1998), Ulsan (2000), Yangsan (2000), Mokpo (2001) and Jeju (2004), and from P densiflora in Gumi (2001). B. mucronatus was isolated from P thunbergii in Jinju (1991) and from P densiflora in Milyang (2001). The body length of male and female B. xylophilus had the highest coefficient of variability and showed significant differences among geographical locations. The V (%) value for female B. xylophilus showed the lowest coefficient of variability, changing little with geographical area and host plant. All morphometric characters in B.

7% of the time from stride-foot contact to ball release) Maximal

7% of the time from stride-foot contact to ball release). Maximal shoulder external rotation angle, elbow extension angle at ball release, peak shoulder proximal force, shoulder internal rotation moment, and elbow varus moment were compared between groups using independent t tests ( smaller than 0.05). Results: Pitchers with improper trunk rotation sequences (n = 33) demonstrated

greater maximal shoulder external rotation angle (mean difference, 7.2 degrees 2.9 degrees, P = .016) and greater shoulder proximal force (mean difference, 9.2% +/- 3.9% body weight, P = .021) compared with those with proper trunk rotation sequences (n = 22). No other variables differed FK228 purchase significantly different between groups. Conclusion: High school baseball pitchers who demonstrated improper Dibutyryl-cAMP concentration trunk rotation sequences demonstrated greater maximal shoulder external rotation angle and shoulder proximal force compared with pitchers with proper trunk rotation sequences. Clinical Relevance: Improper sequencing of the trunk and torso alter upper extremity joint loading in ways that may influence injury risk. As such, exercises that reinforce the use of a proper trunk rotation sequence during the pitching motion may reduce the stress placed on the structures around the shoulder joint and lead to the prevention of injuries.”
“We sought to explore the therapeutic effect of botulinum toxin (BT) therapy by analysing

the time between the BT application and the onset of its decrease (treatment duration, TD), the inter-injection interval (II), and the excess time (ET, ET = II-TD). For this we studied 59 patients (37 females, 22 males, age 52.6 +/- A 10.9 years) with cervical dystonia (CD, Tsui score 9.0 +/- A 4.1) and BT therapy with Botox(A (R)) and/or Xeomin(A (R)) sequentially. Altogether 1,289 treatment cycles were evaluated.

On average 21.8 +/- A 14.0 (4-66) treatment cycles were recorded for each patient. TD was 11.8 +/- A 2.7 weeks (7.8 +/- A 1.4 to 21.0 +/- A 3.9 weeks), II 15.4 +/- A 3.4 weeks (11.3 +/- A 1.3 to 27.8 +/- A 11.6 weeks) and ET 3.5 +/- A 2.4 weeks (23 % of II). TD and II were stable throughout the treatment Crenigacestat clinical trial course. In 36 % of the patients we found TD a parts per thousand currency sign10 weeks, in 83 % TD a parts per thousand currency sign12 weeks. In 17 % of the patients we saw treatment delays due to appointment difficulties, due to the patient’s attempts to explore TD or his actual CD severity, from fear of adverse effects or due to psychiatric comorbidity. 19 % of the patients showed prolonged treatment effects probably due to CD fluctuations. 0.38 % of the injection series produced singular unexplained therapy failure (SUTF). Antibody-induced therapy failure did not occur. TD and II are stable on long-term monitoring. SUTF, treatment delays, and CD fluctuations can occur. 23 % of the time patients are treated suboptimally. Our data suggest to reduce II.

001) without selecting resistant

mutants in vivo, but the

001) without selecting resistant

mutants in vivo, but the reduction obtained with CRO against CFT073-RR Tc (pbla(CTX-M-15)) in kidneys was significantly lower than that obtained with FOX. In conclusion, FOX appears to be an effective therapeutic alternative to carbapenems for the treatment of UTIs due to CTX-M-producing E. coli.”
“The butyrogenic genes from Clostridium difficile DSM 1296(T) have been cloned and expressed Cytoskeletal Signaling inhibitor in Escherichia coli. The enzymes acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) C-acetyltransferase, 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, crotonase, phosphate butyryltransferase, and butyrate kinase and the butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase complex composed of the dehydrogenase and two electron-transferring flavoprotein

subunits were individually produced in E. coli and kinetically characterized in vitro. While most of these enzymes were measured using well-established test systems, novel methods to determine butyrate kinase and butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase activities with respect to physiological function were developed. Subsequently, the individual genes were combined to form a single plasmid-encoded operon in a plasmid vector, which was successfully used to confer butyrate-forming capability to the host. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that C. difficile possesses a bifurcating ZD1839 butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase which catalyzes the NADH-dependent reduction of ferredoxin coupled to the reduction of crotonyl-CoA also by NADH. Since the reoxidation of ferredoxin by a membrane-bound ferredoxin: NAD(+)-oxidoreductase enables electron transport phosphorylation, additional ATP is formed. The butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase from C. difficile is oxygen stable and apparently uses oxygen as a cooxidant of NADH in the presence of air. These properties suggest that this enzyme complex might be well suited to provide butyryl-CoA for solventogenesis in recombinant strains. The central role of bifurcating butyryl-CoA dehydrogenases and membrane-bound ferredoxin: NAD oxidoreductases (Rhodobacter nitrogen fixation [RNF]), AZD7762 which affect

the energy yield of butyrate fermentation in the clostridial metabolism, is discussed.”
“Evolutionary transitions between hermaphroditic and dioecious reproductive states are found in many groups of animals. To understand such transitions, it is important to characterize diverse modes of sex determination utilized by metazoans. Currently, little is known about how simultaneous hermaphrodites specify and maintain male and female organs in a single individual. Here we show that a sex-specific gene, Smed-dmd-1 encoding a predicted doublesex/male-abnormal-3 (DM) domain transcription factor, is required for specification of male germ cells in a simultaneous hermaphrodite, the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. dmd-1 has a male-specific role in the maintenance and regeneration of the testes and male accessory reproductive organs.

The FVIII:Ag contents of the rFVIII Kogenate, and Advate and a pd

The FVIII:Ag contents of the rFVIII Kogenate, and Advate and a pd-FVIII-pd-VWF (Fanhdi) were measured by ELISA. The FX activation was initiated by adding 1.0 IU of FVIII:C of each FVIII-containing product to a coagulant phospholipids suspension

containing 1.0 nm FIXa, 100 nm FX, 1 mu m hirudin and 2 mm calcium chloride and measured after 1, 5 and 10 min. The same approach was followed after adding 2.0 IU of pd-VWF to1.0 IU of FVIII:C of Kogenate or Advate. The FVIII:Ag content/IU of FVIII:C of Kogenate, Advate and Fanhdi were 1.80 +/- 0.05, 1.31 +/- 0.9 and 0.84 +/- 1.5 IU respectively. Only Kogenate and Advate effectively enhanced FX activation 1 min after adding each FVIII:C to the coagulant suspension containing FIXa and FX. Thus, the FXa initially generated by FIXa readily activated FVIII:C in control Kogenate and Advate to thereby effectively enhance FX activation while the VWF in Fanhdi continued to suppress FX activation CB-839 price for up to 10 min. VX-689 molecular weight Addition of pd-VWF to Kogenate or Advate effectively decreased their enhancements of FX activation to the same level as Fanhdi over 10 min. The FVIII:Ag fraction in Kogenate and Advate that cannot bind VWF appears to be inactive as it has no measureable FVIII:C activity in the presence of added VWF in vitro.”
“The ectodermal neural

cortex (ENC) gene family, whose members are implicated in neurogenesis, is part of the kelch repeat superfamily. To date, ENC genes have been identified only in osteichthyans, although other kelch repeat-containing genes are prevalent throughout bilaterians. The lack of elaborate molecular phylogenetic analysis with exhaustive taxon sampling has obscured the possible link of the establishment of this gene family with vertebrate novelties. In this study, we identified ENC homologs in diverse vertebrates by means of database mining and polymerase chain reaction screens. Our analysis revealed that the ENC3 ortholog was lost in the basal eutherian lineage through single-gene deletion and that the LY2835219 concentration triplication between ENC1, -2, and -3 occurred

early in vertebrate evolution. Including our original data on the catshark and the zebrafish, our comparison revealed high conservation of the pleiotropic expression pattern of ENC1 and shuffling of expression domains between ENC1, -2, and -3. Compared with many other gene families including developmental key regulators, the ENC gene family is unique in that conventional molecular phylogenetic inference could identify no obvious invertebrate ortholog. This suggests a composite nature of the vertebrate-specific gene repertoire, consisting not only of de novo genes introduced at the vertebrate origin but also of long-standing genes with no apparent invertebrate orthologs. Some of the latter, including the ENC gene family, may be too rapidly evolving to provide sufficient phylogenetic signals marking orthology to their invertebrate counterparts.

Published by Elsevier B V All rights reserved “
“Plant-spec

Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Plant-specific DNA-binding transcription factors with one finger (Dot) perform important roles in several biological processes. A yeast one-hybrid cDNA library of Jatropha curcas was used to identify Dof-type transcription factors. JcDof3, isolated from the library IPI-549 in vivo as a full-length cDNA, encoded a protein of 518 amino acids and contained a highly conserved Dof domain. Yeast one-hybrid systems and subcellular localization assays confirmed that JcDof3 was a typical transcription

factor. In contrast to arrhythmic expression at basal level in etiolated cotyledons under continuous dark conditions, the circadian oscillations of JcDoj3 transcripts were observed under long day, short day or continuous light regimes. A phylogenetic analysis showed that JcDof3 was clustered into the same clade with CYCLING DOF FACTOR (CDF), which interacts with F-box protein to regulate photoperiodic flowering. Moreover, a yeast two-hybrid assay showed that JcDof3 also interacted with F-box

proteins. Our results suggest that JcDof3 is a circadian clock regulated gene, and might be involved in SN-38 cost the flowering time regulation off. curcas. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of the volume and intensity of abnormal F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) accumulation within areas of contrast enhancement on post-therapeutic volumetric MRI.\n\nMethods: A total of 10 patients with Grade III or IV glioma were treated with resection followed by intracavitary radiation therapy with I-131-labelled antitenascin monoclonal antibody. Patients underwent serial FDG-PET and 1.5 T MR imaging. For each patient, MR and FDG-PET image volumes at each time point were aligned using a rigid-body normalised mutual information algorithm. Contrast-enhancing regions of interest (ROIs) were defined using a semi-automated k-means clustering technique. Activity within the ROI on the co-registered PET scan was

calculated as a ratio (mean activity ratio; MAR) to activity in contralateral normal-appearing white matter (NAWM). The PET lesion was defined as the portion of the ROI associated with activity greater than two standard AZD3965 inhibitor deviations above the mean in NAWM. Survival was assessed using the logrank test.\n\nResults: Larger contrast-enhancing ROIs were strongly associated with an increased MAR (r=0.51; p < 0.002). Enhancing lesions with an MAR > 1.2 were associated with decreased survival (p < 0.016). In nine patients who died, the MAR on PET correlated inversely with survival duration (r=-0.43; p < 0.01), whereas PET lesion volume did not.\n\nConclusion: Following intracavitary radiation therapy, the development of contrast-enhancing lesions that are associated with high mean FDG-PET accumulation suggests poor prognosis.

To address the question of what phenomena trigger these alteratio

To address the question of what phenomena trigger these alterations, we compared the genomic sequences of two Arabidopsis thaliana lines, Columbia (Col) and Landsberg erecta (Ler). Based on the resulting alignments large indels (100bp) within these two genomes were analysed. There are 8500 large indels accounting for the differences between the two genomes. The genetic basis of their origin was distinguished as three main categories: unequal recombination (Urec)-derived, illegitimate recombination (Illrec)-derived and transposable elements (TE)-derived. A detailed study of

their distribution and size variation along chromosomes, together with a correlation analyses, allowed us to demonstrate the impact of particular recombination-based mechanisms on the plant genome evolution. The results show that unequal recombination is not AEB071 efficient in the removal of TEs within the pericentromeric regions. Moreover, we discovered an unexpectedly high influence of large indels on gene evolution pointing out significant differences between the various gene families. For the first time, we present convincing evidence that somatic events do play an important role in plant GSK-3 inhibitor genome evolution.”
“The circular fasciocutaneous skin flap technique (FCF) yields excellent short-term results for complex anterior urethral reconstruction. We performed an observational retrospective and descriptive study to report

our long-term experience.\n\nA total of 36 adults with anterior urethral strictures (AUS) exceeding 3 cm underwent single-stage urethroplasty using the FCF. Exclusion criteria high throughput screening were: lichen sclerosus, absence of the urethral plate and hypospadias. All had a minimum follow-up of 7 years. Mean age was 49.7 years. Radiological work-up was supplemented by urethral ultrasound showing

a mean stricture length of 5.9 cm. A circumferential island of distal penile skin was mobilized on a vascularized pedicle and used for urethral reconstruction. Tube repairs were not included. Outcome was considered a failure when post-operative instrumentation was needed. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis.\n\nMean follow-up was 96.7 months (86-117). All received a ventral onlay repair secondary to stricturotomy. Complication rate was 8.3% (3/36): A flimsy stricture at the proximal anastomotic site occurred in 1 requiring optical urethrotomy. In 2 patients, glans dehiscence was noted. No penile skin necrosis was observed proximal to the flap-harvesting site. We did not observe neurovascular lower extremity complications. Long-term success rates exceeded 90%.\n\nFCF-urethroplasty yields excellent long-term results with no late stricture recurrence. All complications occurred early after surgery underlining the durability of pedicled genital skin flaps. Despite extensive stricture, disease complication rates and morbidity were low.